The Good News

Adult Alternate Outline

Matthew 28:16–18 NKJV

16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

Matthew 28:19–20 NKJV

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

DeMerchant Video (Brazil)

Jesus Reminded the Disciples of His Purpose

Jesus’ Need to Suffer, Die, and Rise

Jesus as the Good News

I will remember the purpose of the gospel.

The Disciples’ Purpose

Preach the Gospel to Every Creature

Teach All Nations

Baptize

I will proclaim the gospel to everyone I can.

Engage

DeMerchants Video

Transition

The video tells the story of a wonderful missionary couple to the Amazon rainforest area of Brazil. The blue and white plane you see was the way they ensured the gospel could reach everyone everywhere in that nation. The DeMerchants flew into areas unreachable by cars or boats. Mission fields are filled with men and women who carry the gospel by plane, boat, bicycle, horseback, and any other method needed. Why? Because the mission of the church is to proclaim the gospel so that whosoever will may come and drink of the water of life freely.

Educate

“No News is Good News”

Perhaps you have heard your parents say, “No news is good news.” They likely made this statement after they went to the mailbox and found nothing, especially no bills, or after they went the entire week without hearing from that particular friend who likes to stir up drama. When we are expecting bad news, it can be a relief not to hear anything at all. However, there is a big difference between no news and legitimately good news. When we have good news, we want to tell everyone we possibly can.

Imagine your family entered a contest to win a free vacation to a tropical destination. Then your parents got a phone call and heard that your family won the vacation. You would probably be excited and want to know all the details. Where are you going? When do you leave? What activities will you be doing? Will you be eating anywhere exciting? You may even ask your parents about the details multiple times just to make sure you have them straight.

Once you have the details figured out, the next thing to do is tell everyone you know about your good news. You might call friends and family. If you are on social media platforms, you might post about it. If you have a smartphone, you may text all the friends in your contacts. You would tell all your school friends the next day at school. You may even tell the person checking out your gro- ceries the next time you are in the store.

In a world dominated by terrible, ugly news headlines, it is great to hear about good things going on right now. The best news you can tell someone, though, is not a current event; it took place over two thousand years ago.

The Gospel in the First Century

As Jesus continued to move through the Jewish community preaching, teaching, and working miracles, the religious leaders of His day became more and more antagonistic against Him.

Jesus professed many times that as the Messiah, He had to suffer, die, and rise from the dead to fulfill His purpose. His opponents did not like this message, but neither did His followers. He told His followers that not only would He take up His cross, but they would need to take up their crosses as well.

Matthew 16:24 NKJV

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

Think about that: Jesus was telling them, “You will need to accept a death sentence if you are going to follow Me.”

Although that may be difficult to hear, it is true. Without Jesus, we have no hope. The only way to find spiritual life is to die out to our own will. The bad news is that we have failed God over and over by missing the mark of what He desires for us. The good news is that Jesus’ death paved the way for us to find redemption!

Colossians 2:13–14 NLT

13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.

Jesus Christ is the gospel to be preached. His death, burial, and resurrection are the good news that provides hope to all who choose to follow Him. Through His sacrifice, the guilt of our sin is removed, and we are set free from the penalty of our sin.

That sounds like good news to me!

The Gospel to Every Creature

Have you ever taken a foreign language class?

If so, you may have noticed certain similarities and differences between that language and English. In fact, English has adopted words and phrases from other cultures.

The word kindergarten means “children’s garden.”

The term cul-de-sac means “bottom of the bag”—an interesting way to describe a dead-end street.

Though language and culture can vary dramatically among people groups, some things are universal:

A smile means the same thing in every language

A wave is almost always considered polite

Nearly all cultures value children.

Additionally, all cultures experience pain.

When a natural disaster hits any region of the world, that region experiences the same suffering and loss, no matter where tragedy strikes.

All cultures also experience sin. We all are waiting for our deliverance from the presence of sin in our world.

Romans 8:22–23 NKJV

22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

We are called to share the gospel with every person because everyone who has ever lived needs redemption. Humanity has been freed from the penalty of sin and is continually being saved from its power, but until we are delivered from the very presence of sin, our mission is to announce the gospel to anyone willing to hear.

It is said that people speak thousands of words each day (about 16,000). Unless you have a voice recorder, can take notes at lightning speed, or have a phenomenal memory, you can’t recall every word I’ve spoken since the start of today’s lesson. Human memory only holds so much, and much of what we say is significant in the moment but may fade in importance over the years.

Still, there are two kinds of words we speak that tend to be remembered for years to come: the first words we say and the last words we say.

Luke 24:46–47 NKJV

46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Jesus’ final instructions to the church were recorded in all four Gospels and in Acts: The Great Commission.

Across all these passages, Jesus’ core message stands out: We are to receive the Holy Spirit, spread the gospel first in Jerusalem (where the disciples were at that time), and then carry it to other nations. The call to teach all nations is clear: Do not discriminate or decide who is worthy to hear the good news. Even if a group seems deeply entrenched in sin or uninterested in the truth, there is no one whom Jesus does not want to reach.

How Did They Do?

The gospel advanced just as Jesus predicted. Revival first broke out in Jerusalem (Acts 2); then the Samaritans responded to the message (Acts 8); next the Gentiles received the gospel (Acts 10); finally, as Paul began his missionary journeys, the message reached people everywhere, including those with only a partial understanding of Jesus (Acts 19).

Our job is not to judge whether others are interested in the gospel. We are simply called to go and teach. But beyond teaching, Jesus also commanded His disciples to baptize believers in His name. John the Baptist was the forerunner to help people grasp the significance of baptism. Before him, Jews viewed baptism as a ritual cleansing with no supernatural power. It was mostly a religious tradition.

However, John the Baptist baptized people unto repentance—not as a ritual, but as a call to turn from their ways and commit to following the coming Christ. Throughout Acts, we see the apostles regularly baptizing people in Jesus’ name, and Paul himself commanded the household of Cornelius to be baptized.

Acts 10:48 NKJV

48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.

Baptism in Jesus’ Name

The apostles recognized that baptism was more than a ceremonial act; it signified entering a new covenant with Jesus. When we are baptized in Jesus’ name, we are making a commitment to follow Him and serve Him wholeheartedly. Through this step of faith, Jesus cleanses us from our sins.

Many people do not fully understand the new-birth experience, and some may have been baptized in ways other than immersion in Jesus’ name. We have a responsibility to reach out to those individuals and share the truth with them. Our duty is not to control the outcome but to faithfully proclaim the gospel to as many people as we can.

You may never stand behind a pulpit as a preacher, but you are still called to share the message. If you have experienced the new birth, you likely feel a burning passion to tell others about it. Spread the good news and watch what Jesus does through your testimony.

The Gospel and My Life

You may wonder how these lessons about Jesus and the gospel relate to your everyday life. The truth is, following Jesus isn’t just about ancient stories or church rituals; it’s about making real choices every day. When Jesus said to take up your cross and follow Him, He was talking about living with purpose, kindness, and honesty, even when it’s hard. Sharing the gospel doesn’t always mean preaching from a stage; it can be as simple as teaching a Bible study to a friend who’s struggling, standing up for what’s right, or sharing your testimony.

Your words, actions, and attitudes show others what it means to be changed by Jesus. No matter where you are—at school, online, or at home—you can influence people for good. Jesus calls you to be courageous, to love everyone, and to share hope. When you live out His message, you become part of something bigger than yourself, helping others find freedom and purpose just as you have.

Explore

What do you think “the whole gospel” means?

Why do you think Jesus established the church instead of just leaving individuals to figure out the mission alone?

In what ways can churches lose sight of their mission?

Wrap Up

The church is God’s chosen vehicle to carry His name to every nation, every culture, every generation. We don’t just attend church; we advance it. You are not the future of the church; you are part of it right now. You can advance the gospel in areas that others can’t.

You can start P7 clubs on your campus that will help spread the whole gospel to the whole world! We are the church everywhere we go—at home, on our campus, on the bus, at the grocery store, at the park. Sharing the good news of Jesus is our mission. What can you do this week to make His mission your mission?

Equip

In Jesus’ last conversation with the disciples on earth, His final words were not about who would inherit this or have that. His parting words to the followers He had invested years into showing the Kingdom, revealing the principles behind the parables, and displaying the power that would soon come upon them were not driven by the mood of the moment but by the mission of the Kingdom.

He told them to go and preach the gospel and baptize others in His name. He commissioned them to exemplify everything they had seen. They were to go and teach what they had heard. Go and spread the good news that we do not have to live under the bondage of sin. Thanks to the gospel, we can be free.

If this was Jesus’ last message to the church, it is our job to continue fulfilling this command until He returns! “The whole gospel to the whole world, by the whole church” means all of us. Doing your part to spread the good news may mean you give yourself to more study than before (even if you’re on your screens less) so you are ready when you encounter those missional moments.

This calling may mean that you give yourself to burdened prayer over souls you’ve never seen and names you don’t know. Why? Because it is the mission of the church to take the gospel to every creature.